Auburn football: Gus Malzahn’s Wildcat comments have us intrigued, horrified (and that’s OK)

The Wildcat package has been a key piece to the Auburn offense since Gus Malzahn arrived as head coach in 2013.

Malzahn said something earlier this week that sent some Auburn football fans into a frenzy — not the good kind, either. That news Malzahn revealed was that H-back Chandler Cox took snaps in the Wildcat formation, along with redshirt freshman running back JaTarvious Whitlow. Malzahn also said that two players he would not name took turns in the formation.

When the Wildcat is at its best, it can be quite the weapon.

• In 2013 with dual-threat Nick Marshall at quarterback, the need for another player taking direct snaps wasn’t needed much. On occasion, Tre Mason took the snap and weaved his way forward for yards.
• In 2014, again with Marshall at quarterback, Malzahn turned to Cameron Artis-Payne (303 carries, 1,608 yards) here and there to run out of the Wildcat. Receiver Quan Bray also saw a handful of carries.
• With Jeremy Johnson and Sean White playing quarterback, the Wildcat took a bigger role in the offense. Freshman Kerryon Johnson was the guy in most situations. He ran the ball 52 times for 208 yards.
• In 2016, Auburn had a variety of options. Kerryon Johnson again was there for the tough yards and the Tigers also used John Franklin III in spots as well as Stanton Truitt.
• Last season, when offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey went to the Wildcat, it was Johnson taking the snaps and running the ball or throwing a 3-yard TD pass to Nate Craig-Myers in the Iron Bowl victory.

But this season, every player who’s taken a snap in the Wildcat (other than Cox) is gone. During the media viewing period this week, the offense lined up in the Wildcat and reporters wasted little time asking Malzahn about the formation and, more importantly, the personnel involved.

“Really? Really?” Malzahn said when told Whitlow was spotted taking snaps in the Wildcat at practice. “Chandler Cox was there that day, too. The next day we had two other guys doing it. We’ve not exactly found out who will be the first one to do that but four different guys are rotating. I’m not going to tell you who the other two are you.”

Still, we have questions. Lots of questions.

• Is this be typical Malzahn misdirection?
• Do him and Lindsey have something up their sleeves?
• Is Cox really an option after running four times for six yards in the season-opening loss to Clemson in 2016 and throwing an interception against Alabama? Even Cox said we shouldn’t expect to see “CoxCat” again.
• Whitlow played quarterback in high school. Could he take what Kerryon Johnson did with the formation to a different level?
• Who are the other two taking snaps? Asa Martin? Shaun Shivers? Harold Joiner? Joey Gatewood? Malik Willis? Ryan Davis?

And just as you start speculating — even getting mad, you know who you are — Malzahn hits us with this gem.

“I don’t even know how much Chip’s planning on using that package,” he said. “We’ll see where that goes.”